Extension barrel for use in firing projectiles with firearm using blank cartridges

ABSTRACT

An auxiliary barrel which can be attached to the muzzle end of the barrel of a firearm such as a rifle or pistol for use in firing projectiles such as tranquilizer darts, tear gas projectiles, or the like when firing blank cartridges in the rifle. The auxiliary barrel comprises an extension barrel for receiving a projectile and directing the projectile toward a predetermined target, coupling sleeve for connecting the extension barrel to the barrel of the firearm and a locking mechanism for securing the coupling sleeve to the firearm barrel.

States Patent Rose 1 Sept. 12, 1972 [54] EXTENSION BARREL FOR USE IN 3,007,271 11/1961 Brandt ..42/ 1 F FIRING PROJECTILES WITH 3,396,660 8/ 1968 Bilson et a1. 102/92 FIREARM USING BLANK 3,419,274 12/ 1968 Tabor ..102/92 CARTRIDGES E B Primary xaminer enjamin A. Borchelt [72] Inventor [Marry 8 BOX Darby Assistant Examiner-C. T. Jordan AttorneyJones and Lockwood [22] Filed: Oct. 30, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 85,434 [57] ABS CT An auxiliary barrel which can be attached to the muzzle end of the barrel of a firearm such as a rifle or pistol for use in firing projectiles such as tranquilizer [58] Fie'ld gg 42/977 1 1 1 02/92 darts, tear gas projectiles, or the like when firing blank cartridges in the rifle. The auxiliary barrel comprises an extension barrel for receiving a projectile and [56] References Clted directing the projectile toward a predetermined target, UNITED STATES PATENTS coupling sleeve for connecting the extension barrel to the barrel of the firearm and a locklng mechanism for I? w l l )7: securing the coupling sleeve to the firearm barrel. a mann 1,297,891 3/ 1919 Moor ..42/77 3 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENIEDsEP 12 m2 r ,I'IIIIIII'I \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\((((((4% INVE/VZOR LARRY A. ROSE A TTORNEYS EXTENSION BARREL FOR USE IN FIRING PROJECTILES WITH FIREARM USING BLANK CARTRIDGES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a barrel extension for use in firing projectiles from various types of standard firearms by the use of blank cartridges, and more particularly, to an extension barrel which is secured to the muzzle end of the barrel of a rifle or pistol that will receive a tranquilizer dart and direct the dart towards a target when a blank cartridge is fired in the rifle.

In the v past, many conservationists have used tranquilizer guns of various types to immobilize wild animals such as mountain lions, polar bears and the like for the purpose of tagging them. By tagging various animals, the conservationists can study their migrating and feeding habits. Sometimes, tranquilizer darts used to immobilize wild animals so they may be transported from-one location to the other without the risk of harming themselves or the persons capturing and transporting them. The problem of extinction threatens many species of wild animals and the problem has been caused primarily by the hunter. Therefore, many hunters associations are urging their members to use tranquilizer guns to prevent the kill of the threatened species unnecessarily. Many hunters have also found that the hunt becomes more challenging when using a tranquilizergun because of the relative short range of the gun requiring the hunter to get extremely close to the intended target before firing.

Most of the presently known tranquilizer guns will only fire the tranquilizer cartridge or darts which necessitates the carrying of an additional firearm by both the conservationist and the hunter for protection in case of an emergency. The requirement for two rifles is very inconvenient and awkward for the user because situations develop so rapidly when dealing with a wild animal that there is not enough time for the user to switch from one firearm to the other.

Other types of projectiles such as tear gas cartridges, smoke bombs, flares, etc., require a speciallymade gun for firing. Civil disorders such as riots and campus disorders, have necessitated the use of the tear gas or smoke by law enforcement officers, but the expense of the tear gas canister launchers prevent each individual patrolman from being equipped with such a firearm. If each individual patrolman had a tranquilizer device, tear gas canister, smoke bomb and signal flare at his immediate disposal, many civil disorders, crime, etc., could be diverted or at least neutralized until help arrived. To equip each law enforcement officer with such a variety of separate special-purpose guns would be very expensive and very cumbersome and limiting to the officers.

Therefore, a need has existed for an auxiliary barrel for a firearm which can be used in conjunction with a standard firearm to eliminate the necessity of having expensive special type firearms for conservationists and hunters as well as law enforcement officers. It is also necessary that the auxiliary barrel be light, inexpensive, and easy to carry and it should be able to receive and direct several different types of projectiles such as tranquilizer darts, smoke bombs, flares, tear gas, cartridges, etc.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide an auxiliary barrel which can be attached to the barrel of a standard firearm which is loaded with blank cartridges so that the firearm can be used as a tranquilizer gun or can be used to fire tear gas cartridges, smoke bombs, flares and various other special-purpose projectiles.

Another object of this invention is to provide an inexpensive auxiliary barrel which is economical and easy to manufacture so that each person who might need a special purpose firearm may be equipped with such a firearm.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an auxiliary barrel which is adapted to be used with most of the presently known rifles and pistol configurations.

These and other objects are accomplished by the present invention through the use of an elongated tubular member for receiving a projectile such as a tranquilizer dart or tear gas cartridge, and for directing the dart or cartridge towards an intended target. The tubular member fits snuggly within a sleeve member which, in turn, fits snuggly over the muzzle end of a firearm barrel. The sleeve member has a slot which receives the forward-sight on the firearm barrel when the firearm barrel is inserted within the sleeve. A packing member of O-ring is carried within the sleeve and disposed between the muzzle of the firearm barrel and the end of the tubular member within the sleeve member. The packing member seals the connection between the barrel and the tubular member in order to prevent gases and pressure from escaping when a blank cartridge is fired in the firearm. A notch in the sleeve member communicating with the slot permits the sleeve to be rotated in a predetermined direction so that the forward sight will be inserted in the notch thereby locking the auxiliary barrel to the firearm barrel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF TI-IE'DRAWINGS From the foregoing, additional objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art by the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of one em bodiment of the auxiliary firearm barrel according to the subject invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross section view of the auxiliary barrel of FIG. 1 as taken on line 2--2;

FIG. 3 is a top view of a second embodiment of the auxiliary barrel showing portions of the firearm barrel and the auxiliary barrel;

FIG. 4 is a cross section view as taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross section view of a modified auxiliary barrel in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a cross section view of a modified auxiliary barrel in accordance with the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring more particularly to the drawings, in FIGS. 1 and 2, the numeral 10 indicates the muzzle end of the barrel of a standard firearm which has a forward sight 12 contiguous to its muzzle edge. The numeral 14 indicates an auxiliary barrel having an elongated tubular member 16 which can be made of any suitable material such as steel. The bore 18 of the tubular member is approximately the same diameter as the bore of the firearm barrel and can be rifled if desired. A coupling sleeve member 20 made of suitable material, preferably steel, receives one end of the tubular member 16. The sleeve bore 21 is such that the tubular member 16 fits snuggly therein but also permits the portion of the tubular member 16 inserted within the sleeve 20 to be adjusted. The sleeve 20 has an elongated slot 22 in its side wall extending inwardly for the end opposite the end of the sleeve which receives the tubular member 16. The slot 22 receives the forward sight 12 when the muzzle portion of barrel is inserted into the sleeve 20 which fits snuggly over the barrel 10. Located at the inner end of the slot 22 is a notch 24 which communicates with the slot 22. When the firearm barrel 10 is inserted into the sleeve 20, the auxiliary barrel 14 can be rotated in a predetermined direction so that the forward sight 12 is inserted into the sleeve notch 24, thereby locking the auxiliary barrel 14 on the firearm barrel 10. A packing member 26 such as an O-ring is carried within the sleeve 20 and is positioned between the end of the tubular member 16 within the sleeve and the muzzle edge of the firearm barrel 10. The O-ring seals the connection between the barrel 10 and the tubular member 16, thus preventing gas or pressure from escaping from the auxiliary barrel when a blank cartridge is fired in the firearm. The numeral 28 indicates a tranquilizer dart which is inserted within the auxiliary barrel 14 prior to installing the barrel on the muzzle end of the firearm barrel 10. Since the tubular member 16 fits snuggly in the sleeve 20, it will be held in place during firing, but since it is not fixedly secured to the sleeve, the auxiliary barrel 14 can be adjusted to fit any type of firearm barrel no matter how far from the muzzle edge of the firearm barrel the forward sight is located.

Turning now to FIGS. 3 and 4, as is well known in the firearm art, many rifles and pistols have a ridge along the upper surface of the barrel and are not completely cylindrical. Thus, numeral 30 indicates a firearm barrel having a ridge 32 along its upper surface. A forward sight 34 is located contiguous to the muzzle edge of the barrel 30. A modified auxiliary barrel 36, illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, has an elongated tubular member 38 similar to the tubular member 16 described above. The tubular member 38 fits snuggly within a bore 39 of a modified coupling sleeve 40. The sleeve 40 has an elongated slot 42 which extends inwardly from the end of the sleeve 40 opposite the end into which the tubular member 38 is inserted and which is parallel to the axis of the sleeve 40. The slot 42 receives the ridge 32 on the upper surface of the barrel 30 as the barrel is inserted into the sleeve 40. An O-ring 44 is carried within the sleeve 40 and is disposed between the muzzle edge of the barrel 30 and the inner end of tubular member 38 and is used for the same purpose as described above in the first embodiment. A plurality of threaded apertures 46 are located on the outer surface of the sleeve 40 opposite slot 42. The apertures are aligned with the center line of slot 42. The sleeve 40 is locked or secured on the barrel 30 by a strap 48 which is secured directly to the sleeve 40 by a pair of fasteners 50 such as screws or the like located at one end of the strap 48 which are inserted in the threaded apertures 46. At the other end of the strap 48 is a hole 52 which fits over a projection 54 such as a screw head, button or the like secured to the bottom surface of the barrel 30 in any particular manner.

It should be understood that the above-described locking means can be varied by providing a plurality of holes in one end of the strap 48 and two threaded apertures 46 in the outside surface of the sleeve 40. Such an arrangement and any other desired method of locking the auxiliary barrel on the firearm can be used as long as the auxiliary barrel is securely held in place and it permits the portion of the barrel 30 which is inserted into the sleeve 40 to be varied.

FIG. 5 illustrates a modified version of the auxiliary barrel, in which the tubular portion 58 has a threaded portion 60 at one end around its outer surface, and a sleeve 62 is internally threaded at 64, the end opposite a slot 66. This arrangement permits the tubular member 58 to be adjusted within the sleeve in order to adjust it for different lengths of barrel and forward sight arrangements. FIG. 6 illustrates a modified embodiment of the auxiliary barrel which can be used with only one type of firearm because the tubular member 68 is fixedly secured by welding or other suitable means directly to the end of the coupling sleeve 70 and cannot be adjusted.

It can be seen from the above description of the drawings that this invention provides a device which may be used to convert an ordinary firearm into a tranquilizer gun, tear gas gun, and the like. The auxiliary barrel is also simple and inexpensive to manufacture and can be used with a wide variety of firearms.

The above embodiments can be modified in various ways as will be apparent from the foregoing. For example, it is within the skill of the art to vary the size and shape of the notch into which the forward sight is inserted or to substitute suitable clamp means for the strap means for securing the sleeve to he barrel. However, these and other variations and changes can be made in the invention as above described and illustrated without departing from the true spirit and scope thereof as defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A firearm auxiliary barrel attached to the muzzle end of a firearm barrel for use in firing projectiles when using blank cartridges in the firearm comprising:

a. an extension means for receiving a projectile and directing said projectile towards an intended tarb. coupling means for connecting said extension means to said muzzle end of said firearm; and

0. locking means for securing said coupling means on said firearm barrel, said locking means including a projection on said firearm barrel and strap means adjustably secured to said coupling means for engaging said projection on said firearm barrel when said firearm barrel is inserted into said coupling means.

2. The auxiliary barrel of claim 1, wherein said extension means is a tubular member which fits snugly within said coupling means and wherein said coupling means is a sleeve member which fits snugly over the muzzle end of said firearm ban-e1, said sleeve member having a slot to receive a forward sight on said firearm barrel.

3. An auxiliary barrel which can be attached to the muzzle end of a firearm barrel for use in firing a tranquilizer dart when using the right cartridges in a firearm comprising:

a. an extension means for receiving said tranquilizer 5 dart and directing said dart toward an intended target;

b. a coupling means for connecting said extension means to said muzzle of said firearm barrel, said extension means being a tubular member which fits snugly within said coupling means and said coupling means being a sleeve member which fits snugly over the muzzle end of said firearm barrel, said sleeve member having a slot to receive a for ward sight on said firearm barrel; and

locking means for securing said coupling means on said firearm barrel, said locking means including a projection on said firearm barrel, and a strap means adjustably secured to said sleeve member for engaging said projection when said firearm barrel is inserted within said sleeve member.. 

1. A firearm auxiliary barrel attached to the muzzle end of a firearm barrel for use in firing projectiles when using blank cartridges in the firearm comprising: a. an extension means for receiving a projectile and directing said projectile towards an intended target; b. coupling means for connecting said extension means to said muzzle end of said firearm; and c. locking means for securing said coupling means on said firearm barrel, said locking means including a projection on said firearm barrel and strap means adjustably secured to said coupling means for engaging said projection on said firearm barrel when said firearm barrel is inserted into said coupling means.
 2. The auxiliary barrel of claim 1, wherein said extension means is a tubular member which fits snugly within said coupling means and wherein said coupling means is a sleeve member which fits snugly over the muzzle end of said firearm barrel, said sleeve member having a slot to receive a forward sight on said firearm barrel.
 3. An auxiliary barrel which can be attached to the muzzle end of a firearm barrel for use in firing a tranquilizer dart when using the right cartridges in a firearm comprising: a. an extension means for receiving said tranquilizer dart and directing said dart toward an intended target; b. a coupling means for connecting said extension means to said muzzle of said firearm barrel, said extension means being a tubular member which fits snugly within said coupling means and said coupling means being a sleeve member which fits snugly over the muzzle end of said firearm barrel, said sleeve member having a slot to receive a forward sight on said firearm barrel; and c. locking means for securing said coupling means on said firearm barrel, said locking means including a projection on said firearm barrel, and a strap means adjustably secured to said sleeve member for engaging said projection when said firearm barrel is inserted within said sleeve member. 